Enteric-Coated, Uncoated Aspirin Have Similar Effectiveness in Heart Patients

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- There is no significant difference in the primary effectiveness or safety between enteric-coated aspirin and uncoated aspirin among patients with cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online Oct. 4 in JAMA Cardiology.

Amber Sleem, D.O., from Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, and colleagues conducted a post hoc secondary analysis of the Aspirin Dosing: A Patient-Centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-term Effectiveness (ADAPTABLE) study to assess the effectiveness and safety of enteric-coated versus uncoated aspirin. The analysis included 15,076 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Baseline aspirin formulation used in ADAPTABLE was self-reported for 10,678 participants; 69.0 percent took enteric-coated aspirin.

The researchers found no significant difference in effectiveness based on risk for myocardial infarction, stroke, or death (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.94; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.09) or safety based on bleeding risk (aHR, 0.82; 95 percent CI, 0.49 to 1.37) between the enteric-coated and uncoated aspirin groups. Within each group, there was no association between aspirin dose and either effectiveness (enteric-coated aspirin: aHR, 1.13; 95 percent CI, 0.88 to 1.45; uncoated aspirin: aHR, 0.99; 95 percent CI, 0.83 to 1.18) or safety (enteric-coated aspirin: aHR, 2.37; 95 percent CI, 1.02 to 5.50; uncoated aspirin: aHR, 0.89; 95 percent CI, 0.49 to 1.64).

"These findings suggested that enteric coating on aspirin is not associated with changes in the effectiveness or safety of aspirin for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events, allowing patients to determine the aspirin formulation," the authors write.

Several authors reported financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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